OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects and mechanisms of Lycium ruthenicum Murr. in improving sleep. METHODS Network pharmacology was employed to identify the active components of L. ruthenicum and their associated disease targets， followed by enrichment analysis. A caffeine‑induced zebrafish model of sleep deprivation was established ， and the zebrafish were treated with L. ruthenicum Murr. extract （LRME） at concentrations of 0.1， 0.2 and 0.4 mg/mL， respectively； 24 h later， behavioral changes of zebrafish and pathological alterations in brain neurons were subsequently observed. The levels of inflammatory factors [interleukin-6 （IL-6）， IL-1β， IL-10， tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）]， oxidative stress markers [superoxide dismutase （SOD）， malondialdehyde （MDA）， glutathione peroxidase （GSH-Px）， catalase （CAT）]， and neurotransmitters [5- hydroxytryptamine （5-HT）， γ-aminobutyric acid （GABA）， glutamic acid （Glu）， dopamine （DA）， and norepinephrine （NE）] were measured. The protein expression levels of protein kinase B1 （AKT1）， phosphorylated AKT1 （p-AKT1）， epidermal growth factor receptor （EGFR）， B-cell lymphoma 2 （Bcl-2）， sarcoma proto-oncogene，non-receptor tyrosine kinase （SRC）， and heat shock protein 90α family class A member 1 （HSP90AA1） in the zebrafish were also determined. RESULTS A total of 12 active components and 176 intersecting disease targets were identified through network pharmacology analysis. Among these， apigenin， naringenin and others were recognized as core active compounds， while AKT1， EGFR and others served as key targets； EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance signaling pathway was identified as the critical pathway. The sleep improvement rates in zebrafish of LRME low-， medium-， and high-dose groups were 54.60%， 69.03% and 77.97%， 开发。E-mail：hjp_yft@163.com respectively， while the inhibition ratios of locomotor distance were 0.57， 0.83 and 0.95， respectively. Compared with the model group， the number of resting counts， resting time and resting distance were significantly increased/extended in LRME medium- and high-dose groups （P＜0.05）. Neuronal damage in the brain was alleviated. Additionally， the levels of IL-6， IL-1β， TNF-α， MDA， Glu， DA and NE， as well as the protein expression levels of AKT1， p-AKT1， EGFR， SRC and HSP90AA1， were markedly reduced （P＜0.05）， while the levels of IL-10， SOD， GSH-Px， CAT， 5-HT and GABA， as well as Bcl-2 protein expression， were significantly elevated （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS L. ruthenicum Murr. demonstrates sleep-improving effects， and its specific mechanism may be related to the regulation of inflammatory responses， oxidative stress， neurotransmitter balance， and the EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance signaling pathway.

Objective: To analyze the changes in classroom lighting environment of schools in Suzhou and their impact on refractive progression among primary and secondary school students, so as to provide the basis for accurate provention and control of myopia. Methods: A baseline investigation was conducted in October 2022 by using a stratified cluster random sampling method to recruit primary and secondary school students from Suzhou. A follow up visit was performed in October 2023. A total of 12 302 students and 360 classrooms that participated in both surveys were included analysis. The visual acuity progression over one year and classroom lighting conditions were assessed. Group comparisons were performed by using the Wilcoxon or Kruskal-Wallis rank-sum, and Chi-square tests. Multivariate Logistic regression was employed to identify the major factors influencing refractive changes. Results: The compliance rate of average illuminance on classroom blackboard surface increased from 72.22% to 75.28%, while the compliance rate of average illuminance on desks decreased from 89.44% to 87.22%, the overall myopia rate among students rose from 59.63% to 66.99% from 2022 to 2023. The average annual progression of equivalent spherical power(SE) in the right eye of students was -0.25(-0.75,0.06)D. Significant statistical differences were observed in the annual mean changes across different school levels, regions, baseline refractive statuses, and classroom lighting environment change groups ( Z/H =316.59, -8.27, 38.80 , 51.01, all P <0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that pre myopia, low myopia, junior high school, senior high school, vocational high school, and improved classroom lighting environment were protective factors of reducing the risk of rapid progression in refractive error ( OR =0.58, 0.69, 0.81, 0.50, 0.28, 0.82, all P <0.05). Conversely, female students and rural students had higher risks of rapid myopia progression ( OR =1.09, 1.42, both P <0.05). Conclusions Over one year follow up, the complance rate of classroom lighting indicators in Suzhou remaines stable, while students refractive status shows a trend toward myopia. Improving classroom lighting environment can reduce the risk of rapid myopia progression.

BACKGROUND:Early diagnosis of pulmonary fibrosis is the foundation for timely antifibrotic drug therapy.Therefore,exploring and discovering ideal biomarkers that can be effectively used for the early diagnosis of pulmonary fibrosis is crucial for the treatment of the disease.OBJECTIVE:To conduct an in-depth analysis of key autophagy-related genes involved in the process of pulmonary fibrosis by means of bioinformatics and machine learning techniques,in order to investigate whether autophagy-related core genes of pulmonary fibrosis can be used as reliable biomarkers in the assessment of the progression of pulmonary fibrosis.METHODS:Two datasets of pulmonary fibrosis,GSE24206 and GSE110147,were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus(GEO)database(a public database developed and maintained by the U.S.National Center for Biotechnology Information to store and share bioinformatics data),and the gene expression matrices of these two datasets were normalized by using the"limma"package in R software.The autophagy-related genes were extracted from GeneCards database(a database created by the U.S.National Center for Biotechnology Information,which automatically integrates gene-centric data from about 200 Web sources,including genomic,transcriptomic,proteomic,genetic,clinical,and functional information).Differential gene analysis was performed on the pulmonary fibrosis dataset,and the common genes were extracted by cross-comparing the differential genes with the autophagy genes,so as to identify autophagy genes that may play a role in the process of pulmonary fibrosis.The intersecting genes were analyzed for functional enrichment and cellular immune infiltration by gene ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes.Core genes of pulmonary fibrosis associated with autophagy were screened by protein-protein interactions and machine learning,and core genes were subjected to the enrichment analysis.Diagnostic models were constructed from the identified core genes.Calibration curves were used to assess the predictive ability of the line graph model.An external dataset,GSE21369,was used to perform a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis to validate the expression profiles of pulmonary fibrosis genes associated with autophagy,as well as to predict Chinese herbs associated with the genes IL6 and COL1A2 via the Coremine database.Finally,human embryonic lung fibroblasts were cultured and modelled by transforming growth factor-β1 treatment,and the relative expression of genes in the model cells was verified using qRT-PCR.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)A total of 51 pulmonary fibrosis differential genes and 25 genes intersecting with autophagy genes were obtained.Gene ontology analysis showed that the 25 intersecting genes were related to extracellular matrix tissue,collagen metabolism,collagen pro-fibroblasts,and growth factor binding,etc.The results of Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analysis indicated that they were mainly related to the Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B signaling pathway and the signaling pathway of the extracellular matrix-receptor interactions.(2)Immunoinfiltration analysis revealed that the expression of activated memory CD4+T cells,M0 macrophages,and resting dendritic cells was significantly elevated in the pulmonary fibrosis group(P＜0.05),showing a strong correlation.(3)Two autophagy signature genes involved in the progression of pulmonary fibrosis were identified:COL1A2 and IL6.The column-line diagram model showed that the two core genes predicted the onset of pulmonary fibrosis more accurately,and the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the two characteristic genes had diagnostic significance.COL1A2 and IL6 were related to the cell-cycle pathway,mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway,Janus kinase-signal transduction and activator of transcription signaling pathway and cytokine-cytokine receptor interactions.A total of 20 Chinese herbs were predicted to be related to COL1A2 and IL6 genes,and their efficacies were mainly to clear away heat and detoxify toxins and to invigorate blood and move qi.COL1A2 and IL6 were verified to be highly expressed in pulmonary fibrosis.To conclude,COL1A2 and IL6 may be potential diagnostic biomarkers for pulmonary fibrosis,but its specificity to pulmonary fibrosis needs to be further investigated.

Objective To explore the effect of phloretin on the proliferation,apoptosis,and tumorigenicity of ovarian cancer cells by regu-lating the Rac1/Akt/NF-κB signaling pathway.Methods The ovarian cancer cell line SKOV3 and the human normal ovarian epithelial cell line IOSE-80 were divided into the following groups:control,low-dose phloretin,medium-dose phloretin,high-dose phloretin,PM A,and high-dose phloretin+PMA.Morphological changes were observed under a microscope.Cell viability and apoptosis were assessed using the CCK-8 assay,colony formation assay,and flow cytometry.Western blotting was performed to detect the expression of proteins related to the Rac1/Akt/NF-κB signaling pathway.Tumor-bearing nude mice were established,tumor weights were measured,and the expres-sion levels of Rae1 and Akt in tumor tissues were analyzed.Results Compared with the control group,SKOV3 cells treated with low-,medium-,and high-dose phloretin showed reduced survival rate,colony formation,and expression of p-NF-κB p65/NF-κB p65,p-Akt/Akt,and Rac 1 in a dose-dependent manner.However,PM A reversed the inhibitory effects of high-dose phloretin on the malignant progression of ovarian cancer.In vivo experiments demonstrated that phloretin significantly inhibited tumor growth and reduced Akt and Rae1 expres-sion in tumor tissues(P＜0.05).Conclusion Phloretin suppresses the malignant progression of ovarian cancer by inhibiting the Rae1/Akt/NF-κB signaling pathway.

OBJECTIVE To analyze the reliability of Xpert MTB/RIF(referred to as Xpert)in detecting rifampicin resistance under varying bacterial loads of Mycobacterium tuberculosis(MTB)so as to reference for clinical diag-nosis and treatment.METHODS A total of 3 050 mycobacterial culture-positive test results from Jan.2016 to Dec.2023 at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University were selected.After excluding 220 non-tubercu-lous mycobacteria cases,2 830 culture-positive specimens underwent Xpert testing,with 2 412 positive and 418 negative cases.Based on MTB bacterial load,specimens were divided into four treatment groups-high,medi-um,low and very low-with 552,916,656 and 288 cases,respectively.Solid phenotypic drug susceptibility testing(DST)was performed on 1 801 MTB strains that were both culture-positive and Xpert-positive.RESULTS The positive rates of rifampicin in the high,medium,low and very-low treatment groups were 10.33％(57/552),11.14％(102/916),8.54％(56/656)and 8.68％(25/288),respectively.Using the solid phenotypic drug sus-ceptibility testing results as the reference standard,the specificity and negative predictive value of Xpert for detec-ting rifampicin resistance in all four bacterial load groups exceeded 96％,with no statistically significant differ-ences observed.No significant difference in sensitivity was noted among the groups(P=0.053),though the high bacterial load group exhibited relatively lower sensitivity at 84.62％(44/52),while the very-low bacterial load group showed the lowest sensitivity at 76.00％(19/25),which was lower than the medium bacterial load group's 94.05％(79/84).The positive predictive values(PPV)across all groups were generally low but without statisti-cally significant differences(P=0.239),with the high and very-low bacterial load groups registering PPVs of 77.19％(44/57)and 76.00％(19/25),respectively.The concordance rates of Xpert and solid phenotypic drug susceptibility testing were consistently high among all four bacterial load groups,including 94.95％(395/416),97.51％(666/683),96.75％(477/493)and 94.26％(197/209),respectively,with no significant difference(P=0.052).The Kappa values from high to very-low bacterial load groups were 0.778,0.889,0.831 and 0.727,re-spectively.Among the strains with discordant results between Xpert and phenotypic drug susceptibility testing,the rifampicin result consistency rates between Xpert and gene chip were 81.82％(9/11),100.00％(9/9),100.00％(2/2)and 25.00％(1/4),respectively for the high to very-low bacterial load groups.CONCLUSIONS When the bacterial load of MTB is very low,the Xpert assay demonstrates a higher probability of both false-posi-tive and false-negative results for rifampicin resistance,followed by high bacterial loads.The most reliable detec-tion of rifampicin resistance occurs with medium bacterial loads.

OBJECTIVE To analyze the reliability of Xpert MTB/RIF(referred to as Xpert)in detecting rifampicin resistance under varying bacterial loads of Mycobacterium tuberculosis(MTB)so as to reference for clinical diag-nosis and treatment.METHODS A total of 3 050 mycobacterial culture-positive test results from Jan.2016 to Dec.2023 at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University were selected.After excluding 220 non-tubercu-lous mycobacteria cases,2 830 culture-positive specimens underwent Xpert testing,with 2 412 positive and 418 negative cases.Based on MTB bacterial load,specimens were divided into four treatment groups-high,medi-um,low and very low-with 552,916,656 and 288 cases,respectively.Solid phenotypic drug susceptibility testing(DST)was performed on 1 801 MTB strains that were both culture-positive and Xpert-positive.RESULTS The positive rates of rifampicin in the high,medium,low and very-low treatment groups were 10.33％(57/552),11.14％(102/916),8.54％(56/656)and 8.68％(25/288),respectively.Using the solid phenotypic drug sus-ceptibility testing results as the reference standard,the specificity and negative predictive value of Xpert for detec-ting rifampicin resistance in all four bacterial load groups exceeded 96％,with no statistically significant differ-ences observed.No significant difference in sensitivity was noted among the groups(P=0.053),though the high bacterial load group exhibited relatively lower sensitivity at 84.62％(44/52),while the very-low bacterial load group showed the lowest sensitivity at 76.00％(19/25),which was lower than the medium bacterial load group's 94.05％(79/84).The positive predictive values(PPV)across all groups were generally low but without statisti-cally significant differences(P=0.239),with the high and very-low bacterial load groups registering PPVs of 77.19％(44/57)and 76.00％(19/25),respectively.The concordance rates of Xpert and solid phenotypic drug susceptibility testing were consistently high among all four bacterial load groups,including 94.95％(395/416),97.51％(666/683),96.75％(477/493)and 94.26％(197/209),respectively,with no significant difference(P=0.052).The Kappa values from high to very-low bacterial load groups were 0.778,0.889,0.831 and 0.727,re-spectively.Among the strains with discordant results between Xpert and phenotypic drug susceptibility testing,the rifampicin result consistency rates between Xpert and gene chip were 81.82％(9/11),100.00％(9/9),100.00％(2/2)and 25.00％(1/4),respectively for the high to very-low bacterial load groups.CONCLUSIONS When the bacterial load of MTB is very low,the Xpert assay demonstrates a higher probability of both false-posi-tive and false-negative results for rifampicin resistance,followed by high bacterial loads.The most reliable detec-tion of rifampicin resistance occurs with medium bacterial loads.

Objective To explore the effect of phloretin on the proliferation,apoptosis,and tumorigenicity of ovarian cancer cells by regu-lating the Rac1/Akt/NF-κB signaling pathway.Methods The ovarian cancer cell line SKOV3 and the human normal ovarian epithelial cell line IOSE-80 were divided into the following groups:control,low-dose phloretin,medium-dose phloretin,high-dose phloretin,PM A,and high-dose phloretin+PMA.Morphological changes were observed under a microscope.Cell viability and apoptosis were assessed using the CCK-8 assay,colony formation assay,and flow cytometry.Western blotting was performed to detect the expression of proteins related to the Rac1/Akt/NF-κB signaling pathway.Tumor-bearing nude mice were established,tumor weights were measured,and the expres-sion levels of Rae1 and Akt in tumor tissues were analyzed.Results Compared with the control group,SKOV3 cells treated with low-,medium-,and high-dose phloretin showed reduced survival rate,colony formation,and expression of p-NF-κB p65/NF-κB p65,p-Akt/Akt,and Rac 1 in a dose-dependent manner.However,PM A reversed the inhibitory effects of high-dose phloretin on the malignant progression of ovarian cancer.In vivo experiments demonstrated that phloretin significantly inhibited tumor growth and reduced Akt and Rae1 expres-sion in tumor tissues(P＜0.05).Conclusion Phloretin suppresses the malignant progression of ovarian cancer by inhibiting the Rae1/Akt/NF-κB signaling pathway.

BACKGROUND:Early diagnosis of pulmonary fibrosis is the foundation for timely antifibrotic drug therapy.Therefore,exploring and discovering ideal biomarkers that can be effectively used for the early diagnosis of pulmonary fibrosis is crucial for the treatment of the disease.OBJECTIVE:To conduct an in-depth analysis of key autophagy-related genes involved in the process of pulmonary fibrosis by means of bioinformatics and machine learning techniques,in order to investigate whether autophagy-related core genes of pulmonary fibrosis can be used as reliable biomarkers in the assessment of the progression of pulmonary fibrosis.METHODS:Two datasets of pulmonary fibrosis,GSE24206 and GSE110147,were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus(GEO)database(a public database developed and maintained by the U.S.National Center for Biotechnology Information to store and share bioinformatics data),and the gene expression matrices of these two datasets were normalized by using the"limma"package in R software.The autophagy-related genes were extracted from GeneCards database(a database created by the U.S.National Center for Biotechnology Information,which automatically integrates gene-centric data from about 200 Web sources,including genomic,transcriptomic,proteomic,genetic,clinical,and functional information).Differential gene analysis was performed on the pulmonary fibrosis dataset,and the common genes were extracted by cross-comparing the differential genes with the autophagy genes,so as to identify autophagy genes that may play a role in the process of pulmonary fibrosis.The intersecting genes were analyzed for functional enrichment and cellular immune infiltration by gene ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes.Core genes of pulmonary fibrosis associated with autophagy were screened by protein-protein interactions and machine learning,and core genes were subjected to the enrichment analysis.Diagnostic models were constructed from the identified core genes.Calibration curves were used to assess the predictive ability of the line graph model.An external dataset,GSE21369,was used to perform a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis to validate the expression profiles of pulmonary fibrosis genes associated with autophagy,as well as to predict Chinese herbs associated with the genes IL6 and COL1A2 via the Coremine database.Finally,human embryonic lung fibroblasts were cultured and modelled by transforming growth factor-β1 treatment,and the relative expression of genes in the model cells was verified using qRT-PCR.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)A total of 51 pulmonary fibrosis differential genes and 25 genes intersecting with autophagy genes were obtained.Gene ontology analysis showed that the 25 intersecting genes were related to extracellular matrix tissue,collagen metabolism,collagen pro-fibroblasts,and growth factor binding,etc.The results of Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analysis indicated that they were mainly related to the Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B signaling pathway and the signaling pathway of the extracellular matrix-receptor interactions.(2)Immunoinfiltration analysis revealed that the expression of activated memory CD4+T cells,M0 macrophages,and resting dendritic cells was significantly elevated in the pulmonary fibrosis group(P＜0.05),showing a strong correlation.(3)Two autophagy signature genes involved in the progression of pulmonary fibrosis were identified:COL1A2 and IL6.The column-line diagram model showed that the two core genes predicted the onset of pulmonary fibrosis more accurately,and the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the two characteristic genes had diagnostic significance.COL1A2 and IL6 were related to the cell-cycle pathway,mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway,Janus kinase-signal transduction and activator of transcription signaling pathway and cytokine-cytokine receptor interactions.A total of 20 Chinese herbs were predicted to be related to COL1A2 and IL6 genes,and their efficacies were mainly to clear away heat and detoxify toxins and to invigorate blood and move qi.COL1A2 and IL6 were verified to be highly expressed in pulmonary fibrosis.To conclude,COL1A2 and IL6 may be potential diagnostic biomarkers for pulmonary fibrosis,but its specificity to pulmonary fibrosis needs to be further investigated.

Objective:To investigate the effect of immune checkpoint inhibitors on reducing residual lymph node metastasis in patients with gastric cancer.Methods:The cohort of this retrospective study comprised patients from Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University and the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University who had undergone systemic treatment prior to gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy and had achieved Grade 1 primary tumor regression (TRG1) from January 2014 to December 2023. After exclusion of patients who had undergone preoperative radiotherapy, data of 58 patients (Nanfang Hospital: 46; First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University: 12) were analyzed. These patients were allocated to preoperative chemotherapy (Chemotherapy group, N=36 cases) and preoperative immunotherapy plus chemotherapy groups (Immunotherapy group, N=22 cases). There were no significant differences between these groups in sex, age, body mass index, diabetes, tumor location, pathological type, Lauren classification, tumor differentiation, pretreatment depth of invasion by primary tumor, pretreatment lymph node stage, pretreatment clinical stage, mismatch repair protein status, number of preoperative treatment cycles, or duration of preoperative treatment (all P>0.05). The primary outcome measure was postoperative lymph node downstaging. Secondary outcomes included postoperative depth of invasion by tumor, number of lymph nodes examined, and factors affecting residual lymph node metastasis status. Results:Lymph node downstaging was achieved significantly more often in the Immunotherapy group than the Chemotherapy group (pN0: 90.9% [20/22] vs. 61.1% [22/36]; pN1: 4.5% [1/22] vs. 36.1% [13/36]; pN2: 4.5% [1/22) vs. 0; pN3: 0 vs. 2.8% [1/36], Z=-2.315, P=0.021). There were no significant difference between the two groups in number of lymph nodes examined (40.5±16.3 vs. 40.8±17.5, t=0.076, P=0.940) or postoperative depth of invasion by primary tumor (pT1a: 50.0% [11/22] vs. 30.6% [11/36]; pT1b: 13.6% [3/22] vs. 19.4% [7/36]; pT2: 13.6% [3/22] vs. 13.9% [5/36]; pT3: 13.6% [3/22] vs. 25.0% [9/36]; pT4a: 9.1% [2/22] vs. 11.1% [4/36], Z=-1.331, P=0.183). Univariate analysis revealed that both preoperative treatment regimens were associated with residual lymph node metastasis status in patients whose primary tumor regression was TRG1 (χ 2=6.070, P=0.014). Multivariate analysis incorporated the following factors: pretreatment depth of invasion by primary tumor, pretreatment lymph node stage, pretreatment clinical stage, number of preoperative treatment cycles, and preoperative treatment duration. We found that a combination of immunotherapy and chemotherapy administered preoperatively was an independent protective factor for reducing residual lymph node metastases in study patients whose primary tumor regression was TRG1 (OR=0.147, 95%CI: 0.026–0.828, P=0.030). Conclusion:Compared with preoperative chemotherapy alone, a combination of preoperative immunotherapy and chemotherapy achieved greater reduction of residual lymph node metastases in the study patients who achieved TRG1 tumor regression in their primary lesions.

Objective:To investigate the effect of immune checkpoint inhibitors on reducing residual lymph node metastasis in patients with gastric cancer.Methods:The cohort of this retrospective study comprised patients from Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University and the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University who had undergone systemic treatment prior to gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy and had achieved Grade 1 primary tumor regression (TRG1) from January 2014 to December 2023. After exclusion of patients who had undergone preoperative radiotherapy, data of 58 patients (Nanfang Hospital: 46; First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University: 12) were analyzed. These patients were allocated to preoperative chemotherapy (Chemotherapy group, N=36 cases) and preoperative immunotherapy plus chemotherapy groups (Immunotherapy group, N=22 cases). There were no significant differences between these groups in sex, age, body mass index, diabetes, tumor location, pathological type, Lauren classification, tumor differentiation, pretreatment depth of invasion by primary tumor, pretreatment lymph node stage, pretreatment clinical stage, mismatch repair protein status, number of preoperative treatment cycles, or duration of preoperative treatment (all P>0.05). The primary outcome measure was postoperative lymph node downstaging. Secondary outcomes included postoperative depth of invasion by tumor, number of lymph nodes examined, and factors affecting residual lymph node metastasis status. Results:Lymph node downstaging was achieved significantly more often in the Immunotherapy group than the Chemotherapy group (pN0: 90.9% [20/22] vs. 61.1% [22/36]; pN1: 4.5% [1/22] vs. 36.1% [13/36]; pN2: 4.5% [1/22) vs. 0; pN3: 0 vs. 2.8% [1/36], Z=-2.315, P=0.021). There were no significant difference between the two groups in number of lymph nodes examined (40.5±16.3 vs. 40.8±17.5, t=0.076, P=0.940) or postoperative depth of invasion by primary tumor (pT1a: 50.0% [11/22] vs. 30.6% [11/36]; pT1b: 13.6% [3/22] vs. 19.4% [7/36]; pT2: 13.6% [3/22] vs. 13.9% [5/36]; pT3: 13.6% [3/22] vs. 25.0% [9/36]; pT4a: 9.1% [2/22] vs. 11.1% [4/36], Z=-1.331, P=0.183). Univariate analysis revealed that both preoperative treatment regimens were associated with residual lymph node metastasis status in patients whose primary tumor regression was TRG1 (χ 2=6.070, P=0.014). Multivariate analysis incorporated the following factors: pretreatment depth of invasion by primary tumor, pretreatment lymph node stage, pretreatment clinical stage, number of preoperative treatment cycles, and preoperative treatment duration. We found that a combination of immunotherapy and chemotherapy administered preoperatively was an independent protective factor for reducing residual lymph node metastases in study patients whose primary tumor regression was TRG1 (OR=0.147, 95%CI: 0.026–0.828, P=0.030). Conclusion:Compared with preoperative chemotherapy alone, a combination of preoperative immunotherapy and chemotherapy achieved greater reduction of residual lymph node metastases in the study patients who achieved TRG1 tumor regression in their primary lesions.